"It wasn't too fun," said Jenkins, who did not need surgery and expects to be fully recovered by the spring. "People were calling me and saying things like, 'You should've been in the game. This wouldn't have happened if you were out there.' I had to turn my phone off, because I didn't want to hear that.

"I don't necessarily think that. I would hope I would have made some plays if I was out there. But at the same time, I look back and we beat that same team earlier in the year, and I wasn't able to play in that game either. We proved we could beat them without me. You never know, I could have made the same mistakes other people would have made. I wasn't going to trick myself into thinking I was the key."

Jenkins finished the season with 82 tackles, two interceptions, 11 pass defenses, one sack, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Those statistics don't tell the whole story. The Saints' defensive coaches go deeper when grading video, awarding points for big plays and subtle coaching points they emphasize. And throughout the season, Jenkins and linebacker Jonathan Vilma were battling neck-and-neck for that points title before Jenkins' injury allowed Vilma to run away with it.

"I thought it was a huge season for me, just because it was my first year at a new position," Jenkins said. "I felt I learned a lot as the season went on, and if I continue to build, I think my future is promising."

Williams said that word gets thrown around too much, and it should be reserved for all-time great players who truly leave their mark. He said that's the kind of player Jenkins wants to be, which he proves through his tireless work and video study, even when the coaches aren't watching.

Jenkins agreed with that.

"I never really get satisfied with what I've accomplished," said the former Ohio State star, whom the Saints drafted with the 14th pick in the 2009 draft. "I don't know what it is, if I just have a drive to want to be the best. I don't want people to think I was good, pretty good, above average. I want to be great. I want people to talk about me for years after I'm done playing. And I work hard toward that. It's easy for someone to say they want to be great. But if you don't work for that, it's just lip service."

Jenkins can't wait to get back to the practice field, for a number of reasons. For one, he wants to get past the knee injury that ended his season. Jenkins said he aggressively was rehabbing the knee in hopes of getting back in time for a possible NFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl.

After the loss, he said the team scaled back the timetable a bit, but he said he would be full speed in time for offseason workouts, if they aren't delayed by a potential lockout.

Jenkins and his teammates also want to erase that bad memory from Seattle.

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck repeatedly burned the Saints' secondary with deep throws, and the final nail in the coffin came when tailback Marshawn Lynch avoided eight potential tacklers on his way to a 67-yard touchdown run in the final minutes.

"That play on its own was kind of a smack in the face for the whole defense," Jenkins said. "We pride ourselves on playing tough, and that's the opposite of what we've been coached, what we did all season. Especially for that being (one of the last plays) on defense for the whole year, and people always say, ÔYou're only as good as your last play,' we'll definitely come in with a chip on our shoulder."

Jenkins said it's a much different feeling than last February, when the Saints were looking forward to a little time off after their Super Bowl victory.

"Last year we won, and it was such a long season, at the end of it, it was like, ÔOK, I just want to enjoy the celebration, and when the season comes up, it comes up,' " Jenkins said. "This time, I can't wait until the season comes up and we start back on the field. Especially me, because I spent the last game watching at home."

Jenkins has been rehabbing in New Orleans, except for a side trip to Saint Martin with some of his fellow defensive backs. He said if there is a lockout, he likely will go back to his college town of Columbus, Ohio, to rehab and work out.

One of the most active Saints in the community, Jenkins also has been heavily involved in charitable efforts. He visited Madisonville Elementary School on Thursday afternoon as part of the NFL's "Fuel Up To Play 60" program, which encourages children to lead a healthy lifestyle and complete 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

On Feb. 20, Jenkins will help put on a benefit concert at Rock n' Bowl to support a crusade against gun violence, which has been a passionate cause for Jenkins throughout his time in New Orleans.

Jenkins and Amanda Shaw will host the concert to benefit Solutions Not Shootings, a violence prevention program of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation. The event is from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., with performances by Glenn David Andrews, Kermit Ruffins, Irvin Mayfield, George Porter, Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys and Rockin Dopsie Jr. Bowling is free with a donation admission, a suggested $10.